Worcester Casino: 13 to Watch in Central Mass in 2013

The new year is sure to be a big one for gaming in the Commonwealth given trends we saw in 2012.

This year, Governor Deval Patrick approved a tentative compact with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe to allow them to operate a casino in Massachusetts, and locally, Worcester City Council is considering eminent domain to acquire the Wyman-Gordon property, which has been mentioned as a possible site for a slots parlor.

Cambridge-based developer Richard Friedman has expressed interest in building a hotel and slots parlor in the heart of the city, but councilors have been back and forth on the issue. Many consider the introduction of gaming to the area as an inevitable happening, but many question what effect a casino would have on the downtown.

Massachusetts residents spent close to $1 billion last year at New England casinos, continuing in a trend of increased spending over the past several years that beat out every other state in the area.

This year was the first time that the Bay State outspent its neighbors, totaling a cool $909 million on gaming and non-gaming amenities at Connecticut's destination resort casinos and at the slot parlors in Rhode Island and Maine.

With numbers like these, it's no surprise that local and state legislators are looking seriously at the opportunities that casinos could bring to Central Mass.